


In Need of A.I.D.

by BlossomingRosebud, PencilofAwesomeness



Series: The A.I.D. Universe [1]
Category: Danny Phantom, Kim Possible (Cartoon), Loonatics Unleashed, Maximum Ride - James Patterson, Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic), Treasure Planet (2002)
Genre: A.I.D. Universe, Action/Adventure, Angst and Humor, Dimension Travel, Friendship, Future, Gen, I Broke the Universe, Life is Difficult, Multiple Crossovers, Origins, Space Battles, Space Pirates, Team Dynamics, Tech is 1000 percent done with life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-06-09 04:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6889768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlossomingRosebud/pseuds/BlossomingRosebud, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PencilofAwesomeness/pseuds/PencilofAwesomeness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to Imperium: a world between the worlds, a city of the future, the center of the universe.  Born out of the unprejudiced convergence of numerous peoples and cultures, it is the one place that offers everything the universe has to offer.  Come on in, we have a hotel room waiting for you.  The fine city-state of Imperium is a place like no other.</p><p>It is a world in desperate need of help.  Ominous threats and perilous dangers loom over the glittering horizon.  They have for many years, but soon, this great city won't be able to hide them.  They can't keep this cloud from blocking out the sun.  It will be up to an all-new team, a force like no other: the Agency of Imperium Defense.  But time is running out.  Many have lost all hope.  But sometimes, heroes come from the most unlikely of places.  Whether they like it or not, they are in this for worse or better.  Before the sun goes out, they will unite, or they will die.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be start of a very large and grand series/universe co-envisioned by me and my sister, PencilofAwesomeness. It is an idea that we have shared for quite some time now, this universe that sort of merges all our fandoms into one huge world. In the future, this interdimensional agency of A.I.D., comprising of agents from all over, will have quite its share of adventures. This first story, which entails the origin of our little universe, will be written by myself, with a lot of Pencil's input, of course. The idea is both of ours. Later stories will be written by her, with some more by me, and thus, we'll sort of alternate.
> 
> I thank you greatly for clicking on this; I hope you'll enjoy reading as this story unfolds. It's a big world: the list of fandoms may be small now, but it will expand exponentially with the later works. (And don't worry if you're not familiar with all of them; they'll be explained.) Bear with me; hang tight; and read. I'll hope you'll enjoy reading as much as I've enjoyed writing.
> 
> (Also, please note, not all of the characters listed in the tags will be there in the beginning of the story. Some will show up in later chapters as the story develops. Sorry for any inconvenience.)

_Shouts and cries arose from the distance.  Screams parted from her lips.  Cruel, black smoke filled the room and seeped into her brain.  The young girl lunged forward to grasp the older woman lying limp on the floor.  She shook her awake.  No response.  She wiped the smear of blood off of her chest.  No response. But she could hardly see her through the torrents of tears._

_In a burst of mad strength, the girl of twelve took hold of the woman and ran swiftly from the burning house as it tumbled down around her.  She cried for help; no one seemed to notice, just as she did not notice them.  One man noticed.  Her father noticed._

_He rushed forward to help, but he knew it was too late.  She knew it, too.  She did not want his help.  “I hate you!” she burst into hysterics, even more tears streaming down her face.  This was all his fault!  He brought them here.  “This is your fault!”_

* * *

 

 

_10 years later…_

“Onion rings?” The young red-headed waitress lifted up a sharp eyebrow of incredulity.

Her customer gave only a stern glare in response.  This waitress was new, of course she would not be aware of her father’s queer taste in takeout.  Granted, for a man well known to be from early 20th-century Britain, it was odd.  He should be craving scones or shepherd’s pie or something, but no, he chose the fried American monstrosities of the 21st century instead.  However, Julia had absolutely no time for questions. 

“Yes, five dozen of them,” she repeated.  “My father is a very busy man; you should know he gets hungry.” And thus, she stared down the poor little waitress of the Five Dimes Diner until she finally made haste.  Julia was then reduced to impatiently rubbing her temples until this final stop of her errand-running was done.  Glancing around the modest restaurant establishment, she was not surprised to notice some of the seated patrons looking at her – although they usually averted their eyes quickly once her gaze met theirs.  She would rather they didn’t, though; curiosity was stifling these days.

They knew her because of her father.  Miss Julia Wilkinson shared some similarities with him: dark hair, white skin, average build.  Her face was much narrower, though, and her dark green eyes were much keener.  Her father, known to most all as ‘The Professor,’ had a broad face with a gentle, friendly gaze.  He was the approachable one, always accepting of company, even if he was not paying attention.  Oftentimes he would get swept away in thought and adopt a far-off, distracted gaze that few besides Julia could truly recognize.  The time and place of these wanderings were indiscriminate; that’s one reason he needed Julia so much.  She was always in keen observation of her surroundings, forever as sharp as her gaze.  The rest of her being did not contradict the trait, either: she never left their house without her dark brunette head of hair in a neat, trim bun and her business-like in a clean, immaculate form.  Julia’s current apparel consisted of a blouse and skirt that could have placed her as a telephone operator from the 1940’s.  If circumstances had varied, that judgment might have been true.

“Here’s your order,” the waitress finally came back with the desired boxes full of fried onion rings.  Julia lost no time in politely thanking her and leaving the establishment with her quarry.  A few more inquisitive souls cast glances her way as she walked out.  There was a good chance that they had a pretty good idea of exactly where she was going.

Julia Wilkinson hurried her way down the sidewalk of the city of Imperium.  Her eyes were centered straight ahead, focused on the destination in mind.  There was once a day when she could not go anywhere without casting gazes of awe and wonder at the right and the left, but one gets used to places after so many years.  Even a place as bizarre and fascinating as Imperium.

Colossal buildings pressed the edges of the silver streets in their mutual never-ending race to the top of the sky.  They were a feast for the eyes: some shining glittering chrome along their modern face with edges which spiked out here and twisted there, some built in the form of a gargantuan tree or rock.  One had a smooth, shell-like exterior that seemed to belong in Atlantis itself, or somewhere under the sea.  A few resembled a fantasized castle of old European glory.  Others had the ornate textures and colors of an ancient Asian edifice.  Others still could be described in no way known to Earth at all; it was out of the world.  But whatever it was, it was big.  It was the materialized embodiment of the future.  It was a dream come true for any architect.  And the streets themselves did not fail to produce wonderment, either.  They were all steel, immaculate shimmering steel.  A short distance above it were hovercrafts, ships, cars, and hoverboards.  They never touched the ground, hence the use of the term “hover,” but rather, they were kept aloft by gravity repulsion technology embedded in the streets themselves.  No friction, no problem.  Most crafts could fly on their own, as well, but this way saved energy and prevented any possible threat of collision.  Traffic ran like clockwork.

But the city itself is only half the story.  The citizens of the land were as varied as their buildings.  Some were human, some were animal.  Some were neither.  Yes indeed, creatures of every sort and size walked these streets.  The collection of human figures passing by seemed to represent every era and race known to Earth, plus some that could not be described in Earth’s standards at all.  Animals from a wide range of species inhabited the land as well.  Some were indiscernible from a common animal except for the fact that they could speak “human” language.  Others were anthropomorphic, walking upright and wearing clothes, looking like their animalistic counterparts more or less.  Then you had everything in between: beings part animal and part human or something that was entirely alien.  Imperium had it all, and somehow, most everyone seemed to speak English.  Perhaps that was proof enough that our Miss Julia Wilkinson character was merely dreaming it all, but she wasn’t.

After all, this wasn’t Earth at all.  This was the planet – and city – of Imperium.  It was a world between the worlds, the centerpiece of a dimension that happened to be wedged in the center of the universe.  Around it were countless other dimensions – unique worlds of their own along with numerous variations thereof.  They were separate from each other; some of them, Earths especially, had no clue that the other worlds existed.  But they did.  They all had a place on the wide continuum that was the universe.  For those who were aware and made a habit of traveling from one place to the next, Imperium was a sort of hub, an interdimensional commercial trading center.  From here you could travel most anywhere, or so they believed.  The citizens of this city-state came from just about everywhere.  The tourists hailed from an even wider range.  The city, the skyscrapers, the technology, the ideas…it was just beautiful.

Julia almost couldn’t stand looking at it.  The glittering streets on which she walked were a lie, a faux pas.  They were so perfect; they could use a little spit on them.  Maybe some dirt would be nice, some nice slop worthy of London.  It least it would be real.  It least it would drive off the tourists and eliminate the need for tourist television channels that would talk day and night all about the sights of the fair city she already knew about.  They kept painting this place like it was Paradise.  She was sure the tourists believed it, too.  It was too bad Mr. Wilkinson had such a fond inclination to watch those shows all the time.  They put him to sleep at night when he wasn’t wasting those dark hours away on some project.  He often suffered from lack of sleep, the professor did.  He didn’t always eat well, either.  Julia wasn’t sure what he’d do without her – too often she found herself playing the role of wife and mother to the man rather than like a proper daughter.

Well, sometimes she looked out for him.  Today she was bringing him five dozen onion rings.  She found herself now close to her destination, which just so happened to be a sight in itself.  It must have been good, for while the entirety of the glittering gilded city did not elicit from Julia a single second glance, she had to stop for a moment to take a look at this thing right here.  Imperium might be a dream; this thing might just be real.  It was a starship, it was, rising from the depths of the construction site to nearly the height of those sky-scraping buildings.  The structure, known very well to her as the S.S. Nyneve, was a great and powerful thing.  The nose jutted out like a saucer; the stern glittered steel.  Square shapes littered across the whole told of where the guns were hidden.  It was heavily weaponized, the Nyneve was, as well as being nearly impenetrable.  Julia was sure that even if a great storm came and wiped away the wretched city, that ship would still be there.  Not everyone would agree.  Julia herself was not even sure she believed in it, this, her father’s latest project.  But for once, she wanted to believe in it.

Miss Wilkinson flashed her ID to some government security guards before entering the realm of the construction site.  She had some onion rings to deliver.  And then, she had some work to do.

 

* * *

 

 

“No!  No!  I don’t want to!!” the little girl screeched, grabbing her disheveled golden curls of hair in complete and utter terror.  Teardrops streamed down her soft round cheeks freely.  This was an emotional one.

On the right side of her seat, a disgruntled old green coyote sighed.  He sure didn’t have time for this.  “It will only hurt a little,” he deadpanned, perhaps not quite as sympathetically as one in his profession should say.

On the other side, the little girl’s mother, a tall, blonde woman of about 40, was much more tender-hearted.  “It’s okay, Sophie.  He’s just going to give a little shot.  It will help you feel better, I promise.”

“No!  I want medicine!” The girl, Sophie, protested, though in a somewhat raspy voice.  She knew enough about these doctor things to know that ingesting some kind of syrup, or even a pill, would hurt much less than a shot.  However, for a case of strep throat, an antibacterial shot was preferred, in addition to the prescription drugs.

The coyote, who was, in fact, the doctor in this situation, was certainly not in the mood to argue with a seven-year-old today.  While the girl was occupied talking to her mother, he made a swift move to grab her arm and inject the syringe.  Sophie screamed.

“Owww!!!  Why did you do that?  I wasn’t ready!  You’re so mean!” she cried.

The coyote, however, had already stopped listening.  “Here’s the prescription,” he handed a sheet of paper to Sophie’s mother.  “You’re good to go,” he dismissed her without bothering to explain.  He was sure she could read just fine.  Sophie kept crying all the way out the door, but that was okay.  It could be worse.  She was at least human; just last week he had a troublesome fire-bending kid in here and well…there were still scorch marks on the wall.  Returning his instruments to their proper places, the coyote breathed a sigh of relief.  It was almost another day over…

He waited a few seconds before exiting the examination room himself to go to the lobby, where his two companions were waiting.  It wasn’t a typical sort of lobby, just like the examination room wasn’t a typical sort of doctor’s room, or like the coyote wasn’t a typical sort of doctor.  Whereas most doctors would be all trim and dressed in white, the coyote was dressed in a long tweed gray coat.  He was, after all, of the anthropomorphic sort, walking upright like a human, though he was about a head shorter than that girl’s mother from a minute earlier.  The color white was also absent from the examination room, which was painted in warm greens and browns.  It looked a lot like a home’s study, or a living room of sorts, complete with comfortable seating and even a bit of art on the walls.  The lobby was also rather home-like, more or less.  The seating area for the customers was on one side, and the other side held…well…everything else.  End tables and “work” tables filled the space, and they in turn were topped with all kinds of junk: computer parts, books, machinery, lab materials, loose wiring, etc.  It had everything.  There was a long rectangular receptionist’s desk dividing the two sectors, but at the moment, the receptionist wasn’t sitting at it, for there were no patients waiting right now.  She, a purple Mobian hedgehog girl by the name of Violet, was at the far side of the room, watching television, which, in true high-tech Imperium fashion, was actually a high definition holographic projection emanating from the wall.

“Hey, Tech!  You gotta see this!” the chipper young woman beckoned him over from her perch on a stool.  Nearby on a ragged couch sat the one other living soul in this establishment, a human one, besides the fact that he was 2% aviary.  The young man with short, unevenly cut strawberry blonde hair had these huge cream-colored wings extending from either side of his back, nicely occupying all the rest of the space on that couch.  His name was Iggy, and with a smiling nod he acknowledged Tech’s presence, although he didn’t turn to look.  For that matter, he wasn’t exactly looking at the TV, either; his eyes were set straight ahead.  He wasn’t _looking_ at anything, of course, because he was blind.  It was alright, though; his hearing was still pretty good.  He could make his own way around, but it was always best if you didn’t move the junk out of its designated place.  Otherwise, they all got along just fine.

But for now, there were no more words.  Most eyes and all ears were fixed at that holographic screen, the one currently panning over the almost-completed work known as the S.S. Nyneve.  It was quite a sight, but it was nothing new.  That ship had been the talk of the whole planet for months.

“We’re standing here now on an exclusive interview with the visionary of this great starship, Mr. Wilkinson,” the reporter on screen was standing somewhere on the construction site, with the ship’s hull still visible in the background.  With her was the great man himself.  “Mr. Wilkinson, it is great having you today.”

“It is absolutely wonderful to be here, madam,” the old professor beamed, that old English accent still showing heavily.  He wore a nice smile on his round face, and his manner was friendly and dignified, but not too dignified.  His old brown jacket did sport a nice and obvious oil stain in addition to the sawdust, and in his hands were two fried onion rings, which he held just as casually as if they were his spectacles.

“Yes, now tell me, you say the project should be completed in three weeks?”

“Yes indeed, and not a moment too early, I say.”

“And what do you plan on doing once it’s complete?”

The professor let out a nice and hearty laugh.  “Why, we set to sea, of course!  Not a moment to be wasted!”

“But what is your plan?”

“That, I’m afraid, is not up to me to decide,” he dropped his voice into a more somber tone.  “I am not to be the one flying this ship.  I am retired, after all.  No, the good and hearty souls manning the ship; they have the plan!”

“But what if that does not work?  What if the expedition leads only to the loss of more Imperium lives?” the reporter bespoke the fears of many as she took on a more critical air, while referring back to the great, dread purpose of this little project.  It was one little problem in the back of everyone’s minds – the pirate problem.  This was the solution, but would it work?

“Ah, but I trust that will not be the case.  This ship right here is much larger and more powerful than anything those rapscallions have been shown to muster up,” he spoke with confidence, waving his onion rings in the air for emphasis and finally eating one of them after the statement was complete.

The questioning led on to a few more things that the viewers already knew: how the project was funded mostly by government money but with some contributions by Wilkinson, how the space pirate problem has been progressing, how every member of the High Council has agreed that action must be taken but many are still wary.  Then, the reporter asked yet another question: “So, I understand that members of the army and of government intelligence have been allotted to serve as the crew for the S.S. Nyneve.  Will they be the only ones manning the ship?  Will you also be on board?”

At this the professor perked up once again.  “Yes indeed, the ship will also be attended by both my daughter Julia and myself.  However, as of the present, I do intend to start hiring additional members to AID.”

“AID?” The reporter perked up as well.  This was something new.

“Affirmative.  This will be a new government agency, officially the Agency of Imperium Defense, or AID for short.  I do not intend for this mission to be merely temporary.  We will exist to defend our fair planet, to _aid_ them in whatever threat that may come our way.  One day, our citizens will be truly safe,” the old professor then turned straight to the camera, eyes shining with calm enthusiasm.  “I am looking to recruit any fair soul who wants to make the world a better place.  We do not just need soldiers; we need scientists, technicians, doctors, inventors, mechanics…  Why, we even need cooks!  Common workers!  AID needs everybody to make this work.  But most of all, we do need agents.  I know that there are plenty of people in this fair city with potential, some even with experience.  We live in a world full of the phenomenally unique!  We need you.  Imperium needs you.  Come, make the world a better place.”   

The interview was basically over after the speech.  With the unleashing of this new agency so little time away, one could be sure that these particular words would be held in rapt attention by the millions of people living here.  It certainly stopped conversation for these three companions over at the small-time clinic’s lobby.  However, that didn’t mean that all were impressed.

After the bit was over, Violet turned off the screen and shook her head solemnly.  “That guy is just plain crazy.  There’s no doubt about it.”

“That’s all you got?” Iggy commented with a nice, casual smirk well befitting his nature around here.

Violet put her little gloved hand on her hips and cut her eyes, although he could not see them.  “What more is there to say?  We talked about this already.  That Wilkinson guy is just trying to make a name for himself or something, or maybe just do something exciting before he dies.  I hear he’s only been here about 13 years, anyhow.  He ain’t an Imperium!  And besides, it’s not going to work!  I can’t believe they spent so much money on this.  We’re better off just defending our borders.  Couldn’t we just have a shield put up or something?”

“See, now those were a lot of words.  And the shield’s actually not a half bad idea,” Iggy leaned back on the couch and released a smile.  Violet was fun to prod, even if imagining her expression was a little harder not really ever knowing for certain what a Mobian hedgehog looked like. 

Violet sent him another glare, which also went ignored.  She didn’t even know how well she resembled Maximum Ride herself when she did that.  “He ain’t even a real Imperium,” Violet shook her head once more.  “I heard that he’s only been here some 13 years.”

To that, Iggy cocked back his head as if he was offended.  “Well, by that logic, our opinions don’t count, either,” he cut back, referring actually to himself and Tech.  Tech had only been here 6 years; for Iggy, it was 8 months. 

“Well, _I_ actually was born here,” Violet narrowed her eyes and gave the fact like it was a sincere accomplishment.  “My parents immigrated to here from Mobius some thirty years.  I think it had something to do with a ‘great war’ going on over there?  I don’t know, but Imperium is definitely the best place to be.”

“Wow, how _amazing_ ,” Iggy droned sarcastically, obviously not caring but more so just egging her on.  He knew the secretary too well; like how she was going to change the subject in three…two…

“You boys should really clean up, you know,” she kicked aside a detached rusted cooling fan that lay on the floor.  It was almost a mute point, though.  The place had been a heap of junk ever since she started working here, almost a year ago.  Soon enough, though, she’ll finally have her Communications degree and be able to get out of here.

Iggy shrugged complacently.  “Kind of hard to organize when you’re blind, you know?  Next thing you know, I’ll be putting telephone cords in the refrigerator or something.  That wouldn’t work for you, would it?”

“Yeah, I don’t believe you,” Violet glowered back at him.  The guy could make his own explosives, but he pleaded invalid when it came to telling the difference between a shelf and a refrigerator.  He was just such a _boy_.  Tech was no better, even if he did have some years on the kid. 

“Don’t believe what?  That I’m blind, or that we own telephone cords?  I know, I know, everything’s wireless nowadays, but old parts still have their use…”

“You know what I mean!” Violet cut him off abrasively, her eyes now heated in the frenzy. 

Tech just stared at the ceiling and sighed.  This was every day now, but he didn’t mind the two of them, not really.  Iggy had actually become a really good friend in these past few months, surprisingly enough, and Violet…well, she made life interesting.  “It might not be such a bad idea, you know,” he mused.

Violet stared at the coyote blankly, having almost forgotten he was in the room.  “What is?” she echoed, now confused.  “About the telephone…”

“No, this whole A.I.D. thing,” Tech swung the conversation back to the program they were watching.  He could, because, after all, this was still his house.  “It’s kind of crazy, but at least he’s _doing_ something.  Who knows, maybe it’ll work?” Tech suggested, casually but hopefully.  Those attacks…they have been kind of bad.  And somehow, the expedition reminded him of old times, those younger days when they did fight the crazy and win.  Sometimes, he missed that life.  If only it wasn’t so long ago, he might be able to go back to it.

“It isn’t going to,” Violet shook her head and pouted just a little.  She hadn’t expected Tech to take the other side of the argument.  He hadn’t shown too much interest before; was it this “A.I.D.” idea that changed it?

Iggy actually hadn’t shown a strong opinion of his own, either.  It was all just politics – noise to fill the void.  He supposed the S.S. Nyneve was impressive – at least, it _sounded_ impressive.  They said it was.  But putting out some new organization, A.I.D.?  What did that even mean, really?  “I don’t know,” he answered honestly.  His life thus far hadn’t exactly taught him to be optimistic.  Still, the fact that he was here alive might actually mean something.  “Maybe, with the right people?” he shrugged.  “I can’t trust the government too much, though.  Not to be effective.”

Tech sighed, “Yeah, me neither.”  He had seen a lot himself, enough to know that these things were hardly ever easy.  It might not be impossible, though.  “But I hope they can.  I guess we’ll see…”


	2. Chapter 2

_7 years earlier…_

Stepping inside the creaking door of her home that day sent Miss Julia Wilkinson into a coughing fit.  Her eyes stung; there was so much smoke.  Fumes of the cigarette wafted in billowing drafts outside the door and threatened to invade the living space of the neighbors in their little complex.  Once her nose and throat adjusted to the wretched air, Julia made her way, stomping, into the flat.  She opened every window they had and let the fresh air enter in – at least, as fresh air as you can get when you live in the city, after all.  “ _Dad!_ ” she yelled, already well aware of who was the source of this atrocity.

“Julia!” The old professor emerged from their living room and into the parlor, a worn-down pipe hanging from his lips.  He quickly took the pipe out and cast it to the side.  Smart man.  “Dear, you’re home early!  Come!  Come inside!” his eyes lighted with excitement.  His graying hair was raggedy and disheveled, as were his clothes.  He had been _thinking_ again.

Reluctantly, Julia followed him into the seating area, the living room.  The cloud of smoke was even worse over here, but unfortunately, she was used to it.  Still, he hadn’t smoked this hard in three years.  Something really had to be up, and by the look in his eyes, she knew it wasn’t a tragedy this time.  “Dad, you’re going to suffocate yourself in here!” she stared at him crossly as she took a seat.  She would found out what he was thinking about soon enough, but she had to get her piece in first. “We _talked_ about the smoking.  You _know_ it’s terrible for your health,” she eyed him seriously, nagging as if she were a mother and not a 15-year-old.

“Sorry, dear,” her father apologized.  The smile didn’t leave, though.  “I was _thinking_.  The pipe—it helps me think.  Dear, this is big!  I could not wait to tell you.  I had to figure it all out.  You see my dear, I had a conversation this morning – at the capitol.  Mr. Bernard – he’s a councilman,” the smile suddenly dropped.  His gaze was serious.  “He talked about how things are, with the _issues_.  He said he wouldn’t blame us for leaving.  We could go back, now that things are settled on Earth.  Offered to propose a pension for me next meeting, for my service.”

Julia’s heart fluttered.  Was he truly considering leaving?  It was all she wanted, yet at the same time it was nothing she wanted.  Imperium had been her home for nearly seven years, and those years were all the important ones.  London, England was a distant memory.  It meant little to her, really; however, she wasn’t quite sure she could stand this city any longer.  Besides, she was 15; she needed to be making her own life pretty soon.  And it wasn’t too easy finding a boyfriend around here—not a _human_ one, that is.  Well, that wasn’t entirely true.  There were additional criteria involved.  He had to be English, and he had to hail from the 1930s or something close to that.  Her last date was from the 20s and he was American.  He was close enough, but by golly, he was annoying.

“I had to decline,” Mr. Wilkinson stated matter-of-factly.  Julia’s heart dropped, but not for good reason, really.  She wasn’t sure herself.  “I admit; I do miss the old country.  I miss our old home, but however!  It would not be logical.  It has been too long.  Our identities would be erased; the police would have presumed us to be dead.  Earth – it is not an easy planet to go back to.  No knowledge of inter-space travel, you know?  Not in ours.”

He paused for a moment, apparently pondering the state of the universe or something of the sort.  Julia waited anxiously, shifting in her seat.  So what was it?  What was all the excitement?  In the name of the Queen’s crumb cake, what was he thinking!?  She couldn’t wait any longer.  “So…what then?  What are you going to do?” she prodded.

“Yes!  What I am going to do!” Mr. Wilkinson’s eyes lit up as if he almost forgot the point but had it come back to him in blessed flood.  “It got me thinking; what to do?  Do we sit still?  Do we let this happen?  No, my dear!  We do not!  We can stay here, but only if we take action!  Like a true Englishman!” his lifted his finger into the air with the fire of a general in the midst of war, but then softened once more.  “Of course, _you_ still can, if you wish, my dear.  You are growing up.  You can leave!  You can live wherever you want to.  We can _make_ a way.  Go!  Marry!  Live life happy!  But me?  I will stay.  We can see each other, I am sure.  But I cannot let all we’ve seen – all we’ve lost – come to no end.  There needs to be a change.  And I believe I know just what needs to be done…”

 

* * *

 

 

_Present day…_

“IN 100 FEET, TURN RIGHT.”

The computerized female voice droned once again.  It was a voice that had the potential for being quite annoying after a while.  And it was.  Julia really had no idea why she consented to bring this blasted thing.  What was wrong with a map?  Was this an insult?  Could she not read just fine? 

“IN 50 FEET, TURN RIGHT.”

Seriously?  “How do I turn you off!?” Julia yelled into her watch, the provider of her directions for the day.  It was what one might call a “smart” watch, in that it gave directions, kept schedules, searched information, provided dietary guidance, and, best of all, it told time.  However, for a woman originating from a time with no watches at all (at least not on your wrist), the technology was entirely unnecessary.  However, her dad found it useful.  She had no need of it, though.  She knew exactly where she was going.

“MAKE A U-TURN, IF POSSIBLE.”

Well, butter biscuits.  With clenched teeth and a slow, reluctant swivel of her body, Julia turned around to see the road she was supposed to be walking on five seconds ago.  Or rather, the sidewalk?  She was in the residential part of town, in one of those not-too-shabby-but-not-too-great-either sort of sectors.  The homes and small businesses comprising the area were a maze, closely packed together to the point where vehicles could not be welcome.  But no one seemed to mind the walk.

Closer to her destination, she started scanning the buildings for signs, both hoping and dreading the discovery of the one she needed to see.  It was silly, really.  She was working as a secretary right now, for a textile manufacturing corporation.  Talking to people was her job, quite literally, whether she agreed with her company’s stance or not.  But this was different.  She was here for her father.  And she was selling an idea that she wasn’t even sure she believed in herself.

It was unfortunate, really, that she still had doubts, even after being so involved in it all this time.  But why?  For what purpose was she even here?  She still remembered the day he told it to her, seven years ago…he set her free and laid down a burden all in one sitting.  He assured her that she could leave, whenever she wanted to.  Earth may be difficult, but why limit yourself?  She could go just about anywhere!  She was literally living right in the center of the universe!  Yet here she was.  She never left.  She never got married.  She wasn’t even courting right now – or no, _dating_.  She never got a life.  She wasn’t even sure what she was anymore.  In a world jammed full of cultures, she had somehow lost her own.  Maybe they all did.  This wasn’t a sharing of ideas.  It was imposing them.  All the _modern_ ones, whatever that meant. 

But why gripe about little things like culture and wrist watches?  There was more at stake.  Truth be told, she didn’t want to leave.  She thought she did, but she didn’t.  Maybe it was because her father was all she had.  Ultimately, she had nothing. 

T.E. Coyote – Medical Practitioner.  There it was.  The place she needed to be.  It was a simple title – straight, plain, and to the point.  The building left something to be desired, too.  It was two stories of cracking red brick, and it was…well…a house.  It was a house.  For one of the ‘brightest minds in Imperium’, he sure didn’t have snazzy accommodations.

The inside was even worse.  The waiting area was clean enough, but the other half of the room situated on the other side of the reception desk was clearly a wreck.  Junk was piled everywhere.  For a doctor’s office, that was odd, to say the least.  But then she looked closer – books, lab materials, tech parts, half-built devices…this was a coyote with hobbies.  Interests of many sorts – it was no wonder he got along well with her father.  Perhaps this place was also his home?  Her dad told her he wasn’t married.  With a place like this, that would be quite obvious.

She walked up to the desk, where a Mobian hedgehog sat, looking intently at the computer, as there were no other patrons in the waiting room at the moment.  “Yes, may I help you?” she asked before looking up.  Once she did, her face lit up with surprise and recognition, not an uncommon response nowadays.  “You’re Wilkinson’s daughter!”

Wow, how interesting.  She never knew.  “I’m here to speak to Tech E. Coyote, please?” she cut through the introductions.  Better to just get to the point.  “Is he available?” 

“He’s with a patient.  But he’ll be done in just a minute or two,” was the response.  Julia hoped the time given was literal.  She had too much to do to be hanging around a waiting room all day.  She wondered whether or not this was going to be worth the time at all.  This coyote obviously had his own thing going on.  Would he really even consider saying ‘yes’?

“So…are you a patient?” Julia’s thoughts were interrupted by the secretary’s sudden inquiry.  She looked back to see her gazing into her guest with constrained yet voracious interest.  She wasn’t going to let her get by without an explanation, obviously.

Julia sighed.  “No, I’m not.  I’m here on business – a question on behalf of Mr. Wilkinson,” she spoke of her father in formal tones.  This was to be professional.

“Oh, what kind of business?”

Well, wasn’t she curious?  “It’s concerning the S.S. Nyneve – A.I.D., that is,” Julia replied with minimal emotion, the questions starting to grate her nerves.

Immediately the hedgehog’s expression lit up with peaked interest.  Of course, it wasn’t exactly a happy kind of interest, but rather that kind of excitement associated with a good conflict to come, an interesting phenomenon destined to add some spice to daily life.  Julia knew that look; she had seen it plenty of times in regards to this A.I.D. business.  And she knew it well enough to hate it.  No one took them seriously, and why should they?  It was all nothing more than ‘interesting’…

The hedgehog opened her mouth to speak, but she was just as soon silenced by the arrival of the doctor’s patient into the waiting room.  Conversation ended and work began.  It was just a standard case – a middle-aged man with strep throat.  Best to keep one’s distance, though; no need catching germs (stupid cramped waiting room space…).  But soon he left the building, and finally, Dr. Tech E. Coyote stepped into the room.

Julia wore a smile of relief.  “Dr. Coyote!” she greeted with the enthusiasm of one just about to get the job finally done, holding out her hand that he may shake it.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.  I wished to have a meeting, if you have the time?” she asked hopefully.

Now, Julia wasn’t quite sure what she expected when she heard about this guy.  But considering the state of his office, she probably should have anticipated nothing less.  There was no doctor’s coat.  He wore casual clothing…semi-professional, like a professor?  He also seemed rather young, although his mannerisms might suggest someone older.  Either way, he seemed a little too relaxed.  Figures.  Her father liked him.

The coyote simply shrugged.  “Yeah…sure.  What about?”

The hedgehog answered for her, unfortunately.  “It’s about A.I.D.!  You know, that overgrown spaceship?  And to think we were _just_ watching that thing about it on the news!  I don’t know; I think she’s recruiting you or something,” she spoke in excited tones that regulated Julia to the third person.

“Well, perhaps we could meet in pri–“

“Hey, what’s this about?”

Julia suppressed a groan.  Strolling into the room came yet another character, one she knew absolutely nothing about.  He was some sight, though: a blonde teenaged boy with gargantuan wings sprouting from his back.  Well, you see something new every day.

“A meeting…” Dr. Coyote answered hesitantly.

“A recruitment!” the hedgehog added.

“Yes!” Julia fairly shouted.  Who cares if this was private or not; she was getting her piece in to this crazy people, and then she was leaving.  “Dr. Wilkinson is looking for skilled recruits to be on the crew of the S.S. Nyneve.  He met you through some science conventions, Dr. Coyote.”

The coyote seemed to recognize the occasion.  “Oh yeah, I remember meeting him,” he reminisced.

“Yes, well, he was impressed with your work.  I assume you all know about the Nyneve project; we’re assembling a team for that.  If you’re interested, give us a call.”  And with that, Julia placed her father’s card firmly on the counter and walked out.  Yes, it was straight and to the point.  But that’s all she was required to do.  She gave the message; let him sit on it.  Honestly, she didn’t expect to see any of them ever again.

Hurriedly she traversed the streets.  Soon enough she would find the subway and make her way back to the city of civilization, where streets were not too narrow for real transportation.  Now, which way did she go to get here the first time?  Heaven forbid she have to take out that GPS again…

_BRRRGH!  BRRRGH!_

Julia froze.  Oh no.  Not again.  Not so soon.

_BRRRGH!_

The alarm sounded loud and clear.  For a second, all other sounds vanished from existence.  She ran for cover.  A horde of chaotic, screaming people followed suit.

_BRRRGH!_

Faster, faster!  They had to…

_Whirrrrr….._

The sun was blocked from view.  Darkness shrouded the land.  A giant airship hovered above them.  Then it started spouting people.

Julia took up and ran.  The cramped, narrow streets were suffocating under the volume of murderous bandits who swarmed the city.  Brandishing plenty of weaponry, the terrified townfolk shrank into the shadows.  Julia ran.

_“Come on dear, it’ll be okay…”_

No store was left untouched.  One place was on fire.

_“Don’t be scared, now.  Stay hidden.” The wolves broke the door.  “Hide...hide…hide…”_

Hands grabbed her.  Her color evaporated.  Something hit her.  She dropped her purse.  Let him have it.  She could smell…

_“No!  No!  Mama!  Mama, wake up!”  Blood.  Blood was everywhere.  Blood was on her hands.  Her mother’s blood was on her hands.  “Why!?  Why did you bring us here?”_

She smelled blood.  She just realized she was on the ground.  Someone helped her up.  Her eyes went wide as she saw it was the boy with the wings.

_I just want to go home…_

“You okay?”

She ventured a slow gaze around the area.  They were gone.  As quick as they came, they were gone.  Destruction flooded their wake.  That one building was still on fire.  Julia blinked slowly.  Though it felt like an eternity, she knew the attack was probably only a few minutes.  It always was.  That was all they needed.

She breathed heavily.  This was it.  This was the enemy.  These pirates from space plagued their existence.  No one talked about it.  No one acknowledged it.  It was bad for business, but then again, they only attacked the residential district, didn’t they?  They just took what they wanted…and plowed through anyone who happened to be in the way.

They really should just leave this planet, shouldn’t they?

 


End file.
